In one aspect, there is provided a novel and improved internally illuminated and elevated railway track for snowboarding and skiing.
Snowboard terrain parks which are operated at night are becoming increasingly popular. Presently, there is a need for a track system and for snowboard or ski jumps for such parks which can be internally illuminated and easily installed and operated with a minimum amount of maintenance and supervision.
Previously, portable skating rails have been devised for skateboards and in-line skates which are made up of a modular series of square or tubular rails that are joined together by connectors and are supported on the ground surface by spaced support columns, for example, as illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,718,412 to R. Levanas. Other patents are of interest for disclosing lighting apparatus for handrails and other tubular structure including U.S. Pat. No. 6,190,085 to J. K. Johansson, U.S. Pat. No. 5,708,749 to N. P. Kacheria and U.S. Pat. No. 5,450,299 to D. Lepre. U.S. Pat. No. 6,042,480 to R. Labelson discloses a skateboard ramp. See also, U.S. Pat. No. 6,065,852 to H. E. Crumley, U.S. Pat. No. 5,779,228 to R. C. Hansen, U.S. Pat. No. 6,425,676 to M. G. Lyons and U.S. Pat. No. 3,473,017 to S. K. Lim et al. Nevertheless, I am not aware of any prior development of an internally illuminated and elevated rail or ramp having a cross-sectional configuration and surface designed for snowboarding, skiing or skateboarding. For example, the rails are also suitable for use in skateboard parks that are open at night, or indoors. Still further, there is an unmet need for a snowboard track which can be illuminated through its upper surface and provided with necessary reinforcing along the lateral edges of the track to prevent chipping or gouging as well as undue wear from the metal edges of the snowboards or skis.